This invention relates generally to refrigerated containers, and more particularly to a unique forced air convection refrigerated container.
Refrigerated food preparation tables generally include a food container which has an open top exposed to ambient air for ease of access. Various refrigeration systems for the containers exist, including surrounding the container with refrigeration tubes, passing cooled air along the outer surface of the container, and passing cooled air across the open top of the container. It is desirable to maintain the entire volume of the container at temperatures equal to or below 40.degree. F., and also at temperatures above 32.degree. F. to prevent the food from freezing. However, with a number of the above methods, maintaining the top temperature below 40.degree. F. causes the bottom region of the container to reach temperatures below 32.degree. F., which in turn causes the food in the bottom region to freeze.
The present invention surmounts this problem by providing a novel apparatus and method for cooling the upper and lower regions of the food container at different heat transfer rates. The upper region of the container is cooled by laminar flow forced air convection across the open top of the container with a first air flow which is cooled to a first temperature. The lower region of the container is cooled by forced air convection along the outer surface of the container with a second air flow which is cooled to a second temperature. The apparatus is designed so that the ambient temperature is greater than the second temperature, and the second temperature is greater than the first temperature. The dual temperature air flows are generated in a unique way utilizing a single heat exchanger by forcing the first air flow to follow a more tortuous path through the heat exchanger than the second air flow.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a unique food refrigeration system utilizing forced air convection with a plurality of air flows which are cooled to different temperatures, whereby the aforementioned problems encountered with known systems are overcome.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel refrigeration coil and fin arrangement, whereby one refrigeration heat transfer device cools a plurality of air flows to different temperatures.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel laminar flow air screen which may be easily disassembled for the purpose of cleaning.
These and other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.